Just A Day In Our Shoes of Gold and Gray
by Little Patch of Heaven
Summary: A bunch of Yuffentines or Friendship!YuffiexVincent inspired by random prompts taken from my friends or everyday life. Fluffy, angsty, humorous, anything. *Special Valentine's Day Chapter Up!*
1. Platypuses

**Title: **Platypuses

**Pairing: **Yuffentine, YuffiexVincent

**Prompt: **Platypus

**By: **Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **Sometimes, a pointless question can make a hell of a lot more sense than one will originally think.

**A/N:** _I was in spanish class, and I turned to my friend and asked her to say the first things that came to mind. These included: chicken pot pie, Little Bo Peep (which I used to write a short OHSHC drabble), bubblegum, bubble bath, and many others. Platypus was one of the words she said, and I just now used it to write this. Because the prompt was platypus, it is pretty random, but I'm actually pretty happy about how this turned out._

**o-o-o-o**

**Platypus:** noun

plural. **plat·y·pus·es**  
A semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal of Australia and Tasmania, having a broad flat tail, webbed feet, and a snout resembling a duck's bill.

**o-o-o-o**

"Vinnie, what is the plural form of 'platypus'?"

Vincent raised an eyebrow, wondering what had brought on such an irrelevant question. Of course, he figured it shouldn't surprise him anymore; the young ninja always seemed to say the most random things at times.

"Platypuses," he said simply.

He watched with curiosity as Yuffie nodded and mumbled, "I was sure it was platypi…."

The two were currently sitting in Shinra Manor, avoiding the rain that poured down outside the large building. Vincent had taken off his cape, and Yuffie was bundled up in about three different blankets.

The normally silent gunslinger had been reading, content with Yuffie's uncharacteristic quiet, when the silence had suddenly been broken by the young ninja's sudden question. She had been living at his mansion for about a month now, and he still couldn't see how she could bring up the most pointless things for no apparent reason.

"Why are platypuses considered mammals?" Yuffie asked, and Vincent looked up from his thick novel again.

"They have hair."

"Yeah, but they have a bill. How many mammals have bills? They have webbed feet, and they lay **eggs**, for crying out loud," Yuffie insisted stubbornly, and Vincent wondered why she wanted to know in the first place. "Anyway, platypi-"

"Platypuses," Vincent corrected while Yuffie frowned and waved a hand at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Platypuses then….they sure are weird, aren't they?" Vincent raised an eyebrow, but nodded slowly just to satisfy his unusual houseguest.

"They aren't at all pretty looking, definitely **not** cute," she continued as Vincent listened to her with true curiosity. "They don't really fit in anywhere, either. They're not really amphibians, but they're not really mammals either. They're something different, somewhere in between two worlds."

Yuffie wasn't acting as childish and hyper as she normally did; even considering the strange topic, she was acting strangely serious. Her face was set in a straight face, and she talked as if she was discussing an important investment. Vincent had the feeling what she was saying was something he needed to listen to.

Of course, he always listened to the young ninja, even when what came out of her mouth had no point or purpose, he listened.

"And the other animals don't really understand the platypus. The mammals look at him, and only see the bill, and the webbed feet, and think 'He's different. He's odd….strange. He's not like us, we can't trust him.' And even though the platypus is a mammal, the other mammals don't accept him.

And while the platypus looks much more like an amphibian, the amphibians laugh at him. They fail to accept him as well.

Over and over, the same words he hears. 'Different…..odd…..strange….a monster. Not one of us, we hate him. He doesn't deserve to be trusted.' He feels lonely, because he's stuck right there in the middle of two worlds, a part of both, but never truly accepted in either world."

Vincent stared at her, realizing what she was saying. An odd way of saying it, that was for sure, but he appreciated it all the same.

Yuffie continued. "It's sad too, because even though the platypus is so interesting, he's never accepted. I like that the platypus is different, but I guess the others can't. Because they only see different as bad, and can't accept the good in the platypus."

She suddenly looked over at him and smiled widely. "But you know what?" He raised another eyebrow, and she laughed. "There's a plural form of 'platypus'. Which mean's that there **has** to be someone else for the platypus, right? Although it looks like the platypus is all alone, standing in-between two worlds, there's someone right there next to him.

There's always someone standing by his side, whether he realizes it or not. Because there would be no reason for the word 'platypuses' if there wasn't someone out there for him, am I correct?" Large grey eyes stared up at him in anticipation and….a bit of nervousness.

Vincent stared at the young girl….no woman, beside him in surprise and shock. This side of her, the side that held so much knowledge and understanding past her nineteen years, was a side people rarely saw. It was not the first time he had seen this side, but whenever she spoke of things like this, he continuously felt amazed of the small ninja.

Finally, he smiled, a small, soft smile, but a smile nonetheless.

He leaned towards her, setting his book down beside him and asked, "Will you be my fellow platypus?"

**o-o-o-o**

_So, how was it? Did you like it? Did you love it? Did you hate it? Whatever your opinion was, please tell me with a review! A writer lives off of reviews! They are our daily bread! The last line was rather fluffy wasn't it? I love Yuffentine fluff!_


	2. Homemade Meals

**Title:** Homemade Meals

**Pairing:** Yuffentine, or simply Friendship!YuffiexVincent (I don't care, take it however you want)

**Prompt:** Chicken Pot Pie

**Summary:** Cooking wasn't her thing. Never was, and she had thought it never would be. But when it was for the person she cared about most, maybe cooking wasn't that bad after all.

**By:** Little Patch of Heaven

**A/N: **_I decided to continue this story, as a set of drabbles focusing on Yuffentine, or simply Friendship between Vincent and Yuffie. All of these drabbles are going to be using prompts that are either a single random word, or a single thing. (ex. Chicken Pot Pie is three words, but one thing) So, yes.....please read, laugh, cry, yell, scream, and don't forget to review!!!_

**o-o-o-o**

Yuffie had never been a very good cook. She could remember, when she was young, her mother had attempted to teach her how to make a simple Wutain dish. It hadn't worked out well, and Yuffie had since been banned from the royal kitchens in Wutai.

She didn't mind much. Cooking was not something she liked spending her precious time doing. If she had the choice, she would be out thieving and taking materia from unsuspecting travelers. No, cooking was not Yuffie's strong point.

The young ninja would have been quite content to leave it at this, but it was when Vincent and she were lazing about Shinra Manor that the impassive gunslinger happened to muse aloud that he was hungry for a homemade meal. Normally the two would go out and get takeout, due to the fact that Vincent didn't trust Yuffie with anything flammable, and the one time Vincent had attempted to cook the two were forced to nibble on burnt crisps.

After that, Yuffie had secretly asked Tifa anything and everything she knew about cooking. Happy to share womanly tips with someone, Tifa had launched into a long explanation that failed to teach the younger female anything. Next, she asked Shera, and the kind woman talked her through a few simple recipes, that unfortunately weren't that simple.

The worst part, for Cid at least, was that Shera had forced him to try all of Yuffie's attempts. The pilot had complained, but listened to his wife, and had been on the verge of meeting Yuffie's food a second time.

The young ninja, realizing she was running out of options, went to Shelke and practically begged her (well, she didn't beg. The Great Yuffie Kisaragi did not beg.) to find all the cooking tips she possibly could through the computer. Taking Shelke's findings, Shera's guidance, and Tifa's tips, she returned to the large mansion and attempted to create something edible.

Vincent was shooed out of the kitchen every time he attempted to enter, but unknown to the young ninja, he occasionally watched her hustle about smiling at her attempts, and struggling to hold in his humored chuckles. There were countless failures, stains on various walls (and the ceiling), and many fires that had to be put out before the entire building was burnt to the ground, but eventually, Yuffie came up with an edible meal.

Both of them could very well remember sitting down to that meal. Yuffie was as anxious as possible when Vincent took a bite, while the normally silent man was secretly giddy at the thought that Yuffie had gone to all this trouble for him. The meal hadn't been great by any standards, but it was edible, and they ended up finishing it all off.

After that, Yuffie continued to cook meals every once in a while, snatching up tips and recipes wherever she went and polished off her cooking techniques. Her talent improved immensely, to the point where takeout became rare, and Yuffie's homemade meals were the common thing.

She suddenly enjoyed learning new recipes, so that she could perfect them and watch as Vincent happily ate them. She loved how he smiled when he ate something she cooked well, and she glowed when he complemented her. She had always viewed cooking as something that would simply never be her thing, but when she was cooking for the person she cared about the most, she didn't mind. When it was for Vincent Valentine, she was absolutely okay with it.

The ninja began to love cooking. Yuffie cooked all kinds of food for Vincent; he would occasionally request things, and she would scramble about to find a good recipe and satisfy the gunslinger's cravings.

On the menu tonight was Chicken Pot Pie.

**o-o-o-o**

_Random fun fact: My friend, possibly the pickiest eater on this planet, is obsessed with Chicken Pot Pie. I don't know why she likes it, but she loves it. I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, and she immediantly responded Chicken Pot Pie. I'm actually going to get her that, too. Anyway, when I asked her to give me prompts, she said Chicken Pot Pie first, then other stop, adding Chicken Pot Pie in every once in a while._

_She read my last story, then gave me a serious look and said something along the lines of: "It was good, but now you have to write one about Chicken Pot Pie." So i guess this drabble ends up getting dedicated to my crazy friend. **There, happy now Mo?**_

**_Please Review!!!_**


	3. Pop!

**Title:** Pop!

**Pairing:** Yuffentine, YuffiexVincent

**Prompt:** Bubblegum

**By:** Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary:** Vincent was a gentleman. Therefore, he souldn't be having those thoughts.

**A/N:** _This one is a little shorter than the others. My friends laughed when they read it, and they all imagined some interesting things. This can be taken innocently, or...........it can be taken different ways, let's leave it at that._

**o-o-o-o**

The silence in the mansion was once again broken by the young ninja. Since she had moved in, without an actual invitation to do so, Vincent had been unable to finish a single book.

This time, Yuffie sat on the floor, blowing bubbles with her raspberry flavored bubble gum and popping them noisily. The gunslinger's red eyes returned to his book.

**Pop!**

He glared at Yuffie, but she wasn't paying attention to him, and had instead developed an extreme interest with the nearest wall.

**Pop!**

His left eyebrow twitched, though his face remained emotionless.

**Pop!**

He scowled.

**POP!**

"…Yuffie…." She looked at him curiously. "Could you possibly refrain from chewing gum while I am attempting to read?"

Yuffie shook her head stubbornly. "No can do, Vinnie. I need to have something in my mouth. So unless you have some substitute, I will continue chewing my gum."

Her reply was completely innocent, but at once, Vincent immediately imagined many ways he could satisfy the young ninja's request.

But Vincent was a gentleman, so instead, he stood and exited the room, his cape covering his face and concealing the increasing blush on his cheeks.

**o-o-o-o**

_REVIEW!!!!_


	4. Right Now

**Title:** Right Now

**Pairing: **Yuffentine, YuffiexVincent, or simply Friendship!YuffiexVincent

**Prompt: **Sand Castles

**By: **Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **It was possible, and fairly probable, that he would later regret this. But at the moment, she was happy, and he was content.

**A/N: **_Oy, this is even shorter than the last one. But I wrote three in one day, so I'm still proud of myself. This one could be taken simply as Friendship if you so wish, it's very easy to see it that way. I actually really like this one, I think it's cute. Please, review!_

**o-o-o-o**

She wanted to build a sand castle, she had said.

But sand was not present in Edge or Nieblehiem. The gunslinger despised sand because it got everywhere, and so the beach was not someplace he liked to go.

_She wanted to build a sand castle._

It was a sudden and random desire. The kind he had learned not to take heed of. And the beach was crowded and hot and sunny and he did _**not**_ want to go.

But….she **wanted **to build a **sand castle**.

And so, Vincent Valentine now found himself seated on the sandy beaches of Costa Del Sol, watching with amusement as Yuffie filled various buckets with sand.

Later, he knew he would have sand in his clothes, and every possible nook and cranny. He knew that later, he would probably regret taking her, when she developed a sunburn because she was too stubborn to wear sunscreen….later, when she grumbled about the sand and the sunburn and pretty much anything she could complain about.

He might regret it** _later_**, but **_right now_**, she was **building her sand castle**.

**o-o-o-o**

_Please, review!!!!! I wrote this during band......so my eardrums were being blasted by Christmas songs, so I'm surprised there's no Christmas references at all. Anyway, review!_


	5. Hand Puppets

**Title: **Hand-puppets

**Pairing: **Yuffentine, YuffiexVincent

**Prompt:** _(Three this time! They were combined)_ Paper Bag/Buttons/Scissors

**By:** Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **Babysitting.....not so fun.......making puppets of a certain someone....well worth it.

**A/N: **_Three in one day. I'm on a roll. Nothing else to say about this one.......so read and review!_

**o-o-o-o**

Yuffie sat at the bar of Seventh Heaven, watching Tifa hurry out the door in a panic, muttering something about dinner reservations, with Cloud following right behind her like a well trained puppy. Sighing, she turned to see two curious sets of eyes staring up at her.

How exactly had she been roped into babysitting? She couldn't quite remember, but guessed Tifa had used some form of reverse psychology.

"So…" she began slowly. "What do you two want to do?"

Two answers came at once: play dolls; make stuff. Yuffie blinked, wondering how she was going to satisfy both Marlene and Denzel without being 'a bad role model' as Tifa had said.

The staring continued for some time, until finally, she had an idea, and jumped up, sending the bar stool to the floor with a crash.

"Do you have any brown paper bags?" she asked the two, and Marlene nodded, running to grab some from a drawer.

"Tifa uses them to make our school lunches," the young girl chirped happily as she handed them to Yuffie.

"How 'bout yarn?"

A long search throughout the house began, and ten minutes later the three were seated at the bar counter, their findings in a jumbled pile of misfit items: colored construction paper, multicolored yarn, colorful and shiny buttons, glitter, and of course glue. Marlene and Denzel examined the cluttered mess, before glancing up at their babysitter.

Denzel was the first to ask what both he and Marlene were wondering. "What exactly are we going to do?"

Yuffie smiled widely, proud of her genius plan, and replied, "Make puppets."

"How?" Marlene's big brown eyes stared up at her, wide with curiosity.

"Like this," Yuffie grabbed a brown paper bag, and the kids did the same. She then selected two shiny buttons of matching color and glued them near the top. "These are the eyes."

Marlene snatched some pretty green ones, while Denzel gave his puppet bright blue eyes. The hair was next. Marlene's brown bag had a mess of brown yarn on top, whereas Denzel cut spikes out of yellow construction paper.

As for Yuffie, she gave her puppet long shaggy black locks. "How do we do clothes?" Marlene questioned, looking up from drawing a wide smile on her paper bag.

"Use the paper," the ninja said simply, motioning towards the stack of multicolored paper. Denzel helped Marlene cut out a pink dress for her puppet, and then turned to use black to make a leather outfit for his spiky headed puppet.

Yuffie cut an uneven, jagged shape out of red paper, and glued it securely onto her hand-puppet. After a while of cutting, gluing, laughing, and attempting to get glue out of their hair, they were finished. Marlene cradled a puppet that seemed to resemble Aerith with a major bed head. Denzel held one that looked like a Cloud that had had far too much sugar.

The two kids ran off excitedly to play with their new toys, while Yuffie silently stared at the paper bag in her hand.

It happened to look suspiciously like a well known gunslinger, who was currently missing a mouth.

The ninja grabbed a sharpie and drew something in quickly and kissed the puppet quickly, before running off to find her young charges, a slight blush on her cheeks and a large smile stretching across her face..

The caped puppet lay on the table, a sharpied smile drawn on his face and shining in his red button eyes.

**o-o-o-o**

_REVIEW!!!!_


	6. Vincent Jr

**Title: **Vincent Jr.

**Pairing:** Yuffentine, VincentxYuffie

**Prompt: **_(the joke at the end is expected when you know the prompt beforehand. It will be stated after the drabble)_

**By:** Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **Vincent knew, if he simply looked down into her large gray eyes, his resolve would crumble in an instant. So he continued to look anywhere but at her.

**A/N: **_Sorry I haven't gotten one up in a while. Finals are coming up, among other things that kept me from writing. Anyway, this one is short, simple, and sweet. Please read and review._

**o-o-o-o**

"Please, Vincent?"

Vincent refused to look into the large gray eyes he knew were staring up at him. "No."

"Why not?" Yuffie whined loudly, causing many people to glance at the odd pair.

"We won't be able to take care of it."

The request was ridiculous, and the gunslinger refused to talk more about it. He also made sure not to look at the ninja; one glance at her hurt expression just might cause his resolve to crumble to the ground.

"Sure we will!" Yuffie chirped and gripped onto his arm, while Vincent frowned, attempting to hide back the blush threatening to overtake his facial features.

"It takes a lot of work, Yuffie. Possibly more than you or I are ready for."

"So? We can raise it just fine."

"Yuffie…."

"And if it's a boy, we should name it Vincent Jr."

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Obtaining it will be-"

"Simple!"

"………."

"**Please**, Vinnie?" Vincent still refused to look down. "I promise you and I will enjoy it." Much to his displeasure, Vincent's resolve started to dissolve. But still, he looked away from the young ninja hugging onto his arm and held fast, shaking his head slightly.

"You can do it……….I'll help you." He shook his head again. "Tifa and Cloud have one……….I want one too. We've been together for a while now…….and I think we could handle it…."

Vincent glanced down at her, her gray eyes tearing up and her mouth set in a small pout, and sighed. There went his resolve.

"…..fine….."

Yuffie cheered, and ran off to purchase the small black puppy she had been looking at earlier

**o-o-o-o**

**Prompt: Puppy**

Hopefully, Vincent Jr. will be able to make another appearance again soon. Imagine a black lab mixed with a german sherperd....that's what I had in mind. Completely black, with lab like ears, but a bit more wolf like than normal black labs.

Review por favor!!!


	7. Awkward Silence

**Title:** Awkward Silence

**Pairing:** Yuffentine, YuffiexVincent

**Prompt:** Steam Bath

**By:** Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **Vincent was actually quite glad Yuffie had dragged him along on this trip.

**A/N: **Nothing much to say.......wait! Nope, nevermind.....

**o-o-o-o**

Vincent stared at the white wall of the small room. Somehow, and he couldn't quite remember how, Yuffie had convinced/dragged him to a small hotel. It was a place popular for couples, a romantic getaway type of place, and Vincent wasn't quite sure why the two where here.

"_You need to get out of this stupid mansion!"_

The two were staying in different rooms of course.

"_You wouldn't be able to resist my beautiful and seductive body in the dark at night."_

The place she had ended up taking him to, the place he now sat in the room of was famous for their public steam baths. Yuffie had been going on about it the entire way and Vincent had pretty much ignored half of the rant.

"_Just promise me, you __**will**__ go to the baths at least once while we're here."_

The gunslinger chuckled slightly, a soft smile on his face. The young ninja had already run off to try the baths, and Vincent had been left alone in his room with nothing to do. Well, he was supposed to visit the baths sometime that night, so it might as well be now. And so, a few minutes later, he left the room and headed down to the baths, wearing nothing but a dark blue yukata.

**o-o-o-o**

Yuffie sighed heavily, sinking down into the warm water. This was the life, she thought, smiling contently. It had definitely been a brilliant idea to come here, but then again, all of her ideas were. She sure hoped Vincent would actually come down and visit the baths sometime.

She was the only one in the large bath, since it **was** rather late, and all the other guests and couples were either sleeping or becoming….closer. The young ninja blushed a bright shade of read as she imagined Vincent and herself doing some of those things, or better yet, in the warm baths together.

"Okay, Yuff," she muttered to herself. "Stop those thoughts right there."

She and Vincent were here simply as friends. It had simply been an excuse to get Vince out of that old stinky mansion. Although she had helped him clear out all the monsters and renovate the entire place, sooner or later he would keel over from all the dust in the large building.

Vincent was probably sitting up in his room right now, and she figured it would be an accomplishment if he was at least reading something other than encyclopedias. He probably wouldn't come down to the baths, but at least she could hope, right?

Yuffie was pretty glad that she was the only one in the bath. They were public, and could be filled with countless people at one time; she didn't necessarily like the idea of being naked in a bath with other people she didn't know.

Leaning up against a rock, she sighed contently once again. Opening her eyes, she glanced around for the bar of soap. Seeing it nowhere, the young woman growled in frustration. Yuffie knew she had seen it earlier.

Her eyes caught on the soap on the ground over near the door, where she had apparently left it. Meaning she would have to get out of the warm water and walk over to get it. Yuffie frowned, extremely annoyed with the fact that she would have to get up and walk all the way over there to get it.

Well, it was either sit here and never get the soap, or stand up and go get it. Sighing, Yuffie stood up out of the bath, the water dripping off her naked, tanned body. Her wet black hair hung in front of her eyes, and she had to shake her head for it to move out of her line of vision.  
She stood there for a moment, the water coming to her hips, staring at the bar of soap, willing it to simply fly to her. It didn't work however, and she scowled before walking towards it. Reaching the end of the bath, Yuffie was about to pull herself up and walk over to get it, when the door to the bath house opened.

Wide gray eyes stared into surprised red ones.

Vincent Valentine stood in the doorway, a towel draped over one arm, wearing nothing but a dark blue yukata that was loose enough on top to expose a sizable amount of his bare chest.

Yuffie, currently naked and very exposed, stared at him in shock, while Vincent looked at her in horror.

Neither knew how much time was spent staring at each other in awkward silence and horrified shock, for neither had a watch, and there was no clock present in the room. But some time later, Yuffie finally composed herself so that her face was indifferent.

Coughing slightly, she said simply, "Would you pass me the soap?"

Vincent, eyebrows raised, complied, and passed the bar of soap over to her. She mumbled out her thanks, and he nodded, turning back to the door and walking out.

Maybe he **wouldn't** take a bath right now.

Once Vincent was out the door, Yuffie felt the embarrassed blush rising up on her cheeks.

Meanwhile, as the blushing gunslinger walked slowly back to his room, he decided he was actually **very** glad Yuffie had forced him to come here.

**o-o-o-o**

_Nothing to say but please review!!!_


	8. Opportune Moment Ruined

**Title: **Opportune Moment _Ruined_

**Pairing: **Yuffentine, YuffiexVincent

**Prompt:** Allergies

**By: **Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **He knew when Yuffie forced him on this trip, something would go wrong. But for some reason, he wasn't all to displeased that he had been proven correct.

**A/N: **_Not much to say....except, I don't like how this is written. I like the idea, but I don't think I did justice to what was playing through my head. Anyway, please read, enjoy, and review. That last one is important._

**o-o-o-o**

Vincent was asleep, Yuffie noticed as she stepped into the living room. He had fallen into a deep sleep in one of the chairs, his chest rising and falling rhythmically, his eyelids covering his beautiful and enchanting red eyes, and his muscles finally relaxed.

Actually, considering what a rare occurrence it was to see the gunslinger actually sleeping (and so deeply especially), she wasn't too surprised; after all the missions Reeve had assigned him as of late (most of them incredibly pointless) she would have been surprised if he **didn't** drift off to dreamland without meaning to.

Slowly, and cautiously as not to wake the still sleeping man, the young woman crept toward him. It was a risky move, since he probably slept with his gun. One wrong move, and she might be staring down the barrel of Cerberus before she could even blink.

Closer, closer, until she was leaning over his body. Gorgeous, he was absolutely gorgeous. Of course, Yuffie already had known that, but seeing him so peaceful and at ease caused a soft smile to graze her features. He wasn't having a nightmare, at least as far as she could tell, and she prayed he was having sweet dreams instead.

Possibly about her.

Yuffie glanced at him again, realizing this was her chance. He would never suspect it, nor see it coming, and if she was lucky she could do it without even waking him.

Bit by bit, little by little she leaned closer towards his face, or more importantly his mouth. The young woman pursed her lips, both excited and anxious to plant a quick kiss on the gunslinger's lips. A strange tingling sensation began in her nose, but figuring it was nothing, she ignored it.

Pausing only an inch or two from touching their lips together, Yuffie readied herself. Nothing could ruin this moment; she would **finally** steal a kiss from her longtime crush.

The tingling in her nose returned, but once again she brushed it off.

Closer…..closer…..and then…….

Yuffie sneezed.

A rather violent sneeze at that.

Directly onto Vincent's calmly sleeping face.

Who wasn't sleeping anymore.

Angry (and curious) red eyes stared into horrified gray ones. Yuffie struggled to come up with a suitable excuse exactly **why** she had been hovering over him in the first place. The rest she could blame on the sneeze.

The silence stretched on, and Vincent raised a hand to wipe his face, covering his eyes for a moment. When he removed the hand he was disappointed to see that the young ninja was nowhere to be seen, and had apparently fled.

Yuffie had indeed fled the moment Vincent wasn't looking, and ran until she was far away from the angry gunslinger. Her face was bright red, whether from shock, horror, embarrassment, or the offending sneeze she didn't know. Snot hung from her nose, and she frowned. What a beautiful sight for Vincent to see when he awoke.

Dropping onto the floor on her knees, she muttered out angrily, "Opportune moment......" Yuffie buried her head in her hands, attempting to make the deep blush on her cheeks disappear. "And I just **ruined** it."

**o-o-o-o**

_Please review. For an author, reviews are the basic building block of all life. They are our bread and butter, our daily meals. So please, don't deprive me of important and necessary nutrition. Please review!_


	9. Age Old Tradition

**Title:** Age-old Tradition

**Pairing: **Yuffentine, YuffiexVincent......Cloti, CidxShera, DenzelxMarlene, ReevexShelke

**Prompt: **Mistletoe (you knew that one was coming, didn't you?)

**By: **Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary:** She knew it was custom, and yes it was tradition. She knew bloody well that Tifa was going to force her into this one way or another, and she was sure glad when she was saved from going through with it.

**A/N: **_Mistletoe.....well, it is Christmas time now! I'm still trying to get over my birthday.....its about eleven days before Christmas....I have finals, and I should be studying....but......I wanted to get this idea up here in case I ran out of time to update this story before Christmas. Please read and review!_

_So everyone.....**MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Happy Birthday Jesus! **(if you aren't a Christian, you can still enjoy this oneshot)_

**o-o-o-o**

**-H-A-P-P-Y-H-O-L-I-D-AY-S-**

Seventh Heaven Bar had been decked out in Christmas decorations. Tifa had filled the building and decorated the outside about as much as she possibly could. The roof and the trees outside were laced with seasonal lights, thanks to Cloud who had been forced to put them up.

Anyone walking by was immediately struck with Christmas thoughts, and ran off to go purchase gifts for loved ones.

The inside of the Bar was a whole other story. Mistletoe in every possible nook and cranny, lights, festive decorations, green and red candles, wreathes, reindeer, and anything else Tifa could cram in there. As well, she played Christmas songs on the radio nonstop.

Only close friends were able to truly enjoy the Christmasy feel of Seventh Heaven, for the bar had been closed for the seasons and Avalanche and friends had been invited over for a party Christmas Eve.

Cloud was currently trying everything to get Tifa and himself under the mistletoe together, but she kept evading him unintentionally, running off to greet everyone and start conversations about anything that came to mind.

Shera and Cid shared a kiss, Yuffie making gagging noises in the background, and the pilot and ninja soon joined in a heated argument.

They weren't the only ones enjoying the festive plants hanging everywhere, for a red-faced Reeve gave Shelke a slight peck on the cheeks when Tifa pointed out what hung above them. And Yuffie noticed the emotionless girl turned a light shade of pink.

Cait Sith and Nanaki were there as well, along with Barret, Marlene, Yuffie and Vincent.

Tifa had forced Yuffie into a festive dress that looked like a female version of Santa Clause's outfit, with a skirt that ended a few inches above her knees and showed off her legs. Tifa wore something similar, but it was sleeveless and had a longer skirt, showing off her large bust instead of here legs. Both wore Santa hats to complete their outfits.

The young ninja was up to her usual tricks, arguing with the others, annoying them, slipping things from their pockets and overall being Yuffie. There were arguments started, but nothing too serious. It was Christmas Eve after all, and everyone was in a festive mood.

At one point, Yuffie pushed Marlene and Denzel under the mistletoe together, and laughed as Denzel blushed bright red, unable to make a move, and the younger girl grabbed him and forced a quick kiss on him.

There was one thing that was bothering Yuffie throughout the night, however. Vincent sat at a table off to the side, making sure to keep away from any offending mistletoe and hardly talked to anyone. He smirked a few times at his friends' antics, and said the occasional word or two.

Yuffie was glad that he was a little happier than his gloomy self, but she sure hoped he was actually **enjoying** himself. She was on her way over to his table to go force him into a conversation when she bumped into Cloud.

"Hey watch it Chocobo butt!" He opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted when Tifa laughed loudly. The two turned to see her and the others all smiling and staring at them expectantly. "What?"

"Mistletoe!" Tifa replied happily, pointing up at the ceiling; Yuffie and Cloud followed her gaze to see that there was in fact one of the evil plants hanging above their heads.

Meaning that they were under the mistletoe together.

And they were expected to kiss.

"WHAT?!" Two enraged cries rang out.

Yuffie stormed over to Tifa and whispered, "Aren't you bothered that I'm going to kiss Cloud?" Tifa shook her head, her wide smile still plastered on her face. "Don't you like him?" Tifa blushed a little but leaned in close to reply.

"I'm okay with it. It's just a quick peck." She leaned back and said loudly, "And besides, Yuff, it's a tradition!"

Yuffie grumbled and walked back to Cloud, who looked just as excited. Slowly, Yuffie rose up on her tiptoes, as the blonde leaned down closer to her.

They were close, so close that their lips were only inches away when a gun shot rang out.

Everyone stood in shock for a moment, before Yuffie recognized that she felt a sticky substance on her cheek. Reaching up to touch it, she brought her hand back and saw red.

Was she bleeding?

Looking up at Cloud, she saw that the red substance was soaking into his hair, dying it red as it dripped down on him from above. Glancing up at the ceiling, she saw that the mistletoe had been shot through, the burnt leaves falling to the ground and crumbling into ashes, while the area around where the mistletoe had hung was splattered with the sticky, red remains of the festive plant.

A bit dripped down on her nose and she shook her head in surprise like a dog; her eyebrows raised, surprised and wondering what had just happened.

The entire room glanced over at the silent gunman in the corner, who was calmly sipping his nutmeg with a look of indifference on his face as he returned Cerberus to its holster.

**-M-E-R-R-Y-C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S-E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E-!-**


	10. Musical Interests

**Title: **Musical Interests

**Pairing: **Yuffentine or Friendship!YuffiexVincent

**Prompt: **Music

**By: **Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **His musical taste made her bored, and hers gave him a headache.

**A/N: **_Ah.....sorry it took a while, I was on break......as for this one, it's short, and it doesn't look nearly as pretty on fanfiction. The style is a bit, well, a lot repetative, so sorry if the 'his' 'hers' gets a bit annoying after a while. This one.....I'll be curious to hear your take on it._

_What did you think of when you read it? How do you think their musical tastes relate to them? Please answer, and please review!!!!_

-----

Vincent liked classical music.

Yuffie preferred rock or punk.

His was perfect for reading.

Hers was perfect for squabbles.

His made her bored.

Hers gave him a headache.

His was calm and soothing.

Hers was exciting and energetic.

His was one of peace.

Hers was one of discord.

His was of agreements.

Hers was of arguments.

His was of going with the plan, listening to the leader.

Hers was of disagreeing with a course, questioning judgment.

His was of adding opinion only when necessary, of making things simple.

Hers was of starting fights, of complicating things.

His was of keeping to himself.

Hers was of stating her mind. **Loudly**.

His was of secrets.

Hers was of blunt truths.

His was of maturity and pain.

Hers was of youth and innocence.

His was of tears.

Hers was of shouts.

His made you want to cry.

Hers wouldn't let it show.

His was of hidden **discord.**

Hers was of subtle **peace.**

**---**

_One night, Yuffie turned the radio to a jazz station, and __both__ of them listened contently._


	11. Stuff Happens

**Title: **Stuff Happens

**Pairing: **Yuffentine

**Prompt: **Happens (you know that bumper sticker 'Shit Happens'? That's what it comes from)

**By: **Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **All through life, things happen. Good things and bad things alike.

**A/N: **_Ah...sorry for the cursing, but this comes from that saying and bumper sticker 'Shit Happens' and a parody of it I saw that said 'Love Happens'. Nothing more to say except, please tell me what you think._

**o-o-o-o**

--

_Shit Happens_

--

He had loved a woman who had failed to return his feelings. He had failed to protect her, and she had made the biggest mistake of her life.

He had **stained **her.

--

She was supposed to have been a male. For her country, for her father, she should have been born as a boy.

She couldn't handle politics, she couldn't run her country. Her birth had _killed_ her mother. Her country _couldn't_ accept her, her father _**wouldn't**_accept her.

--

He never thought she realized how easily she could make him smile. Her stupid jokes, her little fumbles, her cheerful nature.

--

She never thought he saw how much she tried for him. Cooking his favorites, cleaning the mansion, even taking on more assignments.

--

_Shit Happens_

--

_Solution Happens_

_--_

_Life Happens_

_--_

_**Love **__Happens._


	12. Sometimes

**Title:** Sometimes

**Pairing: **Yuffentine

**Prompt: **Chains

**By: **Little Patch of Heaven

**Summary: **Sometimes, she wasn't happy, and he wasn't tied down.

**A/N: **_This turned out to be more serious than the other ones. The sole purpose of it was to show the different sides of Yuffie and Vincent. For instance, Yuffie isn't all smiles and laughs and jokes all the time, and Vincent isn't always gloomy even though he appears that way. Sometimes he's happy, and sometimes she's not. So please, read and review. Tell me what you think._

**_--------_**

Sometimes, she felt like she was drowning. Sinking slowly in her failures, disappointments, and let-downs. Lower and lower until the light of the sun was just a distant memory. Escape was impossible, and her struggles and fights only proved to wear her out.

Sometimes, she felt that she didn't belong. Betrayal had come in their past, and she could never shake the feeling that the others never truly trusted her. She felt that she was the lone inhabitant of a deserted island no one else could reach, and she had no way of escaping.

Sometimes, she felt like she was chained down. The rough, rusty metal scraping against her skin as she struggled to free herself, her efforts bringing her nothing but red marks and black bruises. Things she couldn't erase, memories and hardships she couldn't outrun, coming in the form of heavy chains to keep her securely tied down.

Sometimes, he felt he could soar. The regret and insecurities of his past fading away as _she_ reached out her hand and lifted him out of the dark depths. She lent him her wings, and he flew.

Sometimes, he felt as if he was meant to be there. His discomfort disappearing when _she_ showed him her smile and he saw nothing but happiness and acceptance in her beautiful, gray eyes. No pity, no disgust, or even fear. At long last, he felt he had a home because _she_ had held her arms out wide and welcomed him.

Sometimes, he felt like he was free. The chains of life crumbling to dust when her light swept through his darkness. He felt like he was no longer bound, the hard metal no longer bruised and choked him, and he could breathe.

Sometimes, she was scared. Even though she would never admit it, and she would die before she let it show. Smiling, laughing, and dancing through life to hide her trembling.

Sometimes, he felt like a hero. Protecting her, he felt like he could keep her safe. And though she acted as if she didn't need comfort or help, he would stay right at her side always, catching her when she stumbled.

Sometimes, the role of savior and saved switched, and **he** was the one who rescued **her**.


	13. Valentine's Day

**A/N: **_I just realized that it's been a while since I updated this. Sorry! So I thought, what better time to update than on Valentine's Day? Only I didn't get a chance to write all day, and instead threw this together quickly. So sorry, I haven't even proof read it at all yet because I wanted to get it up today and I have to go up in a few minutes._

_So please read, enjoy, and review! I wanted to make a crack at Vincent's last name, but didn't really get a chance to have Yuffie say anything about it......so it just vaguely gets mentions......darnit....._

_And yes I know, the chapter title is so very orginal...._

**Title: **_Valentine's Day_

**Pairing: **_Yuffentine, Cloti, CidxShera_

**Prompt: **_Chocolates/Valentine's Day_

**By: **_Little Patch of Heaven_

**Summary: **_He opened the box and smirked. She knew him so well._

* * *

**~H-A-P-P-Y-V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E-S-D-A-Y~**

Seventh Heaven was abuzz with activity, as many of the former members of AVALANCHE had joined there to join in the tradition of exchanging chocolates and greetings.

Deciding they needed an excuse to see all of their friends again, it had been Tifa who had suggested the get-together, and had invited everyone over for Valentine's Day. She had been pleasantly surprised when Cloud had chosen this day – appropriate, she supposed, seeing as it was the holiday of romance – to ask her a very important question.

And of course her immediate answer had been 'yes', the proof now weighing down the finger on her left hand.

Cid and Barret had proclaimed the question a perfect excuse to order up a whole new round of drinks, as well as forcing Cloud to drink as well. The three men were now all drunk – much to Tifa's dismay – and had started an interesting game of strip poker in the corner. One of which, Tifa was glad she was not a part of.

And of course, Marlene and Denzel had been shooed up to bed, and Tifa had noticed that their candy bags had mysteriously gone with them.

As she began to clean another glance, she realized that there were two people who still had not arrived; though one of them wasn't a surprise at all.

That didn't last long at all, however, for the door burst open and a familiar ninja barged in with a grin on her face and a bag full of chocolate in her hand. "Hello everyone!" she shouted, stomping in and sitting down at the bar after throwing the bag onto the counter.

"Hey Yuffie," Tifa greeting, glancing at the bag.

"Oh, go ahead," the younger woman sighed, and Tifa grabbed a chocolate. The ninja's eyes caught on something on the martial artist's finger; realizing at once what it was, she let out a loud squeal. "A ring, an engagement ring!?" Tifa's cheeks were tainted pink when she nodded. "No way! Spike proposed?"

"Just a little bit ago," Tifa muttered, taking a bite out of the chocolate and then raising an eyebrow at her friend. "This is good, what is it?"

Yuffie smiled. "Wutian chocolate! But come on, no getting off topic. I want the juicy details."

"There's nothing much to tell. I mean, Cloud came back from a delivery, and then he just…proposed."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Oh that was informative. Where is Chocobo Butt, anyway?" She looked over to the corner where Tifa had pointed, and raised an eyebrow. "Okay then…"

The two girls laughed as Cloud was forced to remove his shirt. "So," Yuffie laughed. "Are you going to stop that any time soon?" Tifa shook her head. "Why not?"

With a smile the older woman replied, "Cloud's losing," which then caused the two to break out in another laughter fit.

"So…." The ninja glanced around the bar. "I see Cloud, Barret, Cid, Shera and Nanaki….where's everyone else?"

"Reeve and Cait left a little while ago, and I haven't seen Shelke recently."

"And Gloomy Mc. Gloom didn't show, huh?" Yuffie pursed her lips in a frown, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tifa smiled sadly. "No, Vincent never came."

"Moron," Yuffie muttered under her breath, though Tifa heard her anyway. "I told him to come." She shook her head before reaching into her bag and removing more chocolates for everyone else at the bar, before standing.

"Where are you going Yuffie?" Tifa asked as the young ninja opened the door.

Yuffie turned back to her friend with a grin. Brandishing the box of chocolates that she hadn't left on the bar counter, she replied, "I'm going to go find Vinnie and force him to accept chocolates from the great Yuffie Kisaragi!"

----

"Where the hell is he?!" Yuffie yelled suddenly, wrapping her arms around her to try and provide her shivering body with more heat. She had been searching for hours, forcing people to give her rides to different places and paying them only half of what she owed them. She had checked everywhere, and there was still no sign of the cloaked gunslinger.

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, and looked down at the chocolates in her hand.

"Maybe not everywhere…."

----

Vincent Valentine sat in the dark cave, staring up at the crystallized form of Lucrecia Crescent. He had avoided the others, even though Tifa had invited him to her place, and Yuffie had threatened him to come.

Valentine's Day was a day he despised, ironic since he shared the same name. While a holiday for love for young couples, it only served as a reminder of what he had lost.

He frowned, thinking of something. When Yuffie had insisted that he show up at Tifa's for the party, he had hesitated before deciding to once again spend the holiday in the cave he had been spending it for the last few years.

He wasn't quite too sure what it was about the young, energetic ninja that made him smile when he was around her, or why when Valentine's day had come up he had thought of her instead of Lucrecia. It troubled him, however. If it was true that he was developing feelings for the young girl, he was afraid that he would hurt her.

That he would taint her just as he had done to the shining Lucrecia.

He didn't want that. Yuffie was someone innocent, still a young child at heart. She had so much left living for, and he didn't want her to suffer a fate anywhere near what his former love had suffered.

But, it was absolutely impossible that he thought of her as anything other than a friend. Right?

----

She had known. All along she had known that Vincent would choose no place other than Lucrecia's cave to spend Valentine's Day. She had known, but actually being proved right was horrible.

Yuffie didn't think that he had seen her. He probably didn't even know she was standing at the entrance of the cave, watching him. He was probably too caught up in memories and sins, thinking about repentance to have heard her enter.

Sighing softly, she felt tears prick at her eyes, but refused to acknowledge them, or allow herself to cry. Yuffie looked down at the box in her hands.

It was a large heart shaped box that was black instead of red or pink. The only red was the ribbon tied around it. She had figured that it would suit him better than a frilly, girly Valentine; on the back of the box she had signed her name in Wutain.

She had spent more time on his valentine than any of the others, hoping that it would be able to hint at the feelings she couldn't say aloud. Vincent was still brooding and angsting about his past, and she knew she had to work on him slowly instead of suddenly overwhelming him with her feelings.

But of course, it had been Lucrecia he had thought about come Valentine's Day, not her.

----

Vincent stood slowly, turning to leave the cave. Really, he didn't know why he was actually going to show up at Seventh Heaven instead of remaining in the cave like he normally did. For some reason, the thought of seeing Yuffie's disappointed face had made up his mind for him.

As he left the cave, he kicked something he hadn't seen, and looked down. His eyes widened slightly as he recognized the item as a heart shaped box of chocolates. Though it was different than most, as it was black instead of red.

His name was written across the front, and as he turned it over he recognized the characters on the back as Wutian writing. "Yuffie," he muttered, opening the box and staring at the chocolate inside.

He wasn't one for sweets really, another reason why the holiday wasn't anything big for him. He couldn't understand why Yuffie could eat countless sugary sweets one after the other, as they simply made him sick. But even so, the fact that it was from her caused him to take a bit out of one of the chocolates anyway. Vincent smirked. They were dark chocolate; Yuffie knew him too well.

But if she had been here, where was she now?

----

Tifa didn't ask Yuffie what had happened when she returned to Seventh Heaven. She could tell by Yuffie's face that she didn't want to talk about whatever it was.

Instead she just asked the ninja if she could help her drag an unconscious Cloud up to his – soon to be his and Tifa's – room, and then Barret up to a spare room. Luckily for them Shera managed to drag Cid to their temporary room.

Without a word about what had happened, Yuffie made herself comfortable on the couch while everyone else went up to bed. Shifting on the makeshift bed, she cursed and wished that she could shove Cid out of his bed and take over it.

The sound of the front door opening caught her attention, and she tensed, ready to defend the Lockhart home from robbers. The footsteps of the robber were quiet as they got closer, and she heard a rather familiar 'hmmm' that made her almost gasp in surprise before she caught herself.

It was Vincent. She didn't need to turn around and look to know that the gunslinger had returned to the Seventh Heaven bar and was now currently very close to her.

She evened her breath, pretending to still be asleep, and listened closely. She didn't want to deal with him right now, but she did want to know what he would do.

He got closer, until his breathing was right overhead.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Yuffie," she heard him mutter, and she almost let out a gasp. Something was laid by her head, before Vincent turned and left the room.

When she was sure that he was gone, she opened her eyes to look at what he had left her, surprised to see a small box of milk chocolates and a gleaming heal materia.

She laughed quietly, hugging the present to her chest, unaware that Vincent could hear her giggles from the kichen.


End file.
